One of the first principles of self-discipline is to know when to go to bed and when to get out of it. Experts say that, for reasons not yet fully understood by science, sleep does something very important, something very vital for life. And yet, most people have irregular, often unhealthy sleeping habits, not realizing the negative effects this has on their waking hours.
A few years ago I was intrigued by how often the Bible mentions the early rising of great men and women of God. Look at just a few instances:
“And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.” Genesis 19.27
“Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.” Genesis 28.18
“And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh…’” Exodus 8.20
“Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove…” Joshua 3.1
“When he (Gideon) rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together…” Judges 6.38
“So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul…” 1 Samuel 15.12
“So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper…” 1 Samuel 17.20
“Then King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 29.20
“She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household…” Proverbs 31.15
And how about Jesus:
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” Mark 1.35
And the women who first saw Him risen:
“Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.” Mark 16.2
This must be more than just coincidence, don’t you think?
Take control of your life. You need between 7-8 hours of sleep per day. You don’t need to watch that sitcom, soap opera, or football game. You need to wake up fresh and be at work AHEAD of schedule. You don’t need to be working late into the night. Learn to distinguish between what you need and what you don’t.
Do you have a time to go to sleep and a time to wake up?
Bishop Renato Cardoso
